IWHS Students Break Down Walls
By Sarah Garcia and Lori Ellerson
Thirteen students from IWHS packed their bags and headed to San Ignatius, Belize in late June to provide their help and services for those in need.
Along with the thirteen students, Mrs. Greene, Mrs. Clayton, and Mrs. Porter, a parent willing to help out, were also in attendance to chaperone and take part in the service activities. At one of their stops, the ladies helped out at an orphanage where they played, sang, and made crafts with local children who were living at the orphanage.
One of the main projects on this trip was to paint the outside of one of the local primary schools. After power washing the building and working long hours in the humid weather, by the time they were ready to leave, the outside of the building had been completely repainted.
“It was extremely hot but well worth it. Many local children came to help us and even shared their popsicles,” said Junior, Katherine Chavez. “It was great spending time with all of them. The memories will last forever.”
Besides painting, the girls held a “Parents Day Out” and organized games and activities for local children.
“The trip was an experience of a lifetime. The people and culture were amazing and the city was beautiful. I hope to return soon and visit new friends I made while working in Belize,” said Junior, Lori Ellerson.
Holding pancake sales in the cafeteria before school helped raise funds for the trip. In addition, Incarnate Word girls held a benefit concert in the McGowen Gym featuring Jack Mitts, The Lightweights, and Joe Sanchez. Generous donations were contributed, as well, which aided in making this trip possible.
“I know a snack mod when I see one.”
By Allison Thornton
Mrs. Doubleday is the new chemistry and aquatic science teacher at IWHS. She is also and alum of the school and is very excited to be teachign here.
Have things changed since you were here?
“I haven’t noticed a huge difference. Same building, same girls, same teachers. Different uniform. I miss my green shorts and skirt.”
Did you always know you wanted to teach?
“No. I never wanted to teach. My mom is a teacher and I had decided I never wanted to teach. I wanted to be a researcher but I hated working in the lab. I started talking to my bacteria and when my bacteria started talking back, I knew it was time to quit. My mom made me sub. I did and I loved it.”
What made you come back?
“I loved every minute of the four years I spent here at this school. I had amazing teachers who pushed me in the direction I studied in college. I thought if I could give back to one lady what this school had given me then I would feel fulfilled.”
Do you have any hobbies?
“Too many; reading, running, working out, watching Top Gear, and probably the most important thing of all, shopping!”
Did you always want to study science?
“Yes. Always.”
What do you hope your students will get out of your class?
“An appreciation for science as a whole. Hopefully they’re going to be a little more curious of the world around them as they leave the door.”
What was your favorite class as a student here?
“Science. It was exciting, it was fun, and you get to do lab stuff.”
How has being a student here helped you transition into teaching here?
“I know the schedule, I know how to organize my time, and the IWHS lingo wasn’t completely foreign. I know a snack mod when I see one. I will tell you that your side of the desk is easier than my side.”
“I hope to provide a positive environment for athletics”
By Krystal Puente
Coach Nicki Gonzalez has been the athletic director for 3 years and the volleyball coach for 6 years.
What are the duties of being an athletic director?
As the athletic director, I am responsible for the coaching staff, all athletic programs and making schedules for all sports teams.
What called you to be an athletic director?
I witnessed it during my childhood; my dad was an athletic director and I got to see what type of help and support he offered to his athletes.
How did you come to be an athletic director?
The position opened up and I wanted to stay here, so I took the job opportunity. The job fell into the alley of administration.
What are your hopes for this year’s seasons?
I hope that all teams win that state championship this year. I also hope to be able to establish a community with the athletic
programs and to provide a positive environment of athletics.
Did you play volleyball in college?
Yes, I played at UT-Brownsville.
How long have you been coaching?
I have been coaching for 10 years.
What is your favorite part of coaching?
My favorite part of coaching is being able to be a positive role model and a positive motivator to athletes. I want to help the girls accomplish their goals at IWHS.
Did you ever get injured? What advice can you give to athletes today?
I got injured and the injury is a long time one. The advice I can give to athletes today is that no matter how hard you work and push yourself, you need rest. Make sure to take care of yourself; you don’t want to ruin your future over an injury.
Incarnate Word Welcomes back Ms. Talley!
By Alayna Queen
Ms. Talley is the new English teacher in room 206. Although she might be new to teaching, she is very familiar with Shamrock country. She has been a Shamrock ever since she started as a freshman in 2002 and graduated in 2006. After graduating from Incarnate Word High School, Ms. Talley went to Davidson College in North Carolina. She majored in English and minored in education. Texas had too strong of a hold on her, so she ended up coming back to graduate from Trinity Universit and finished with a masters in teaching. Her excitement for teaching English was evident throughout our conversation.
How did Incarnate Word High School help you throughout your college years?
Incarnate Word taught me how to study, so I did not have the same trouble as everyone else did!
Do you think it is beneficial to your teaching style and connecting with your students because you attended Incarnate Word as a student?
I think definitely because I remember how much work there was when I was here, so I try not to give them busy work. I know they have work in other classes, so I try to be considerate of that.
Is it weird that some of your former teachers are now your co-workers? Which teachers are still here?
It’s weird, but it’s really fun because I am getting to know them as people now. I remember having Mr. Cardona, Mrs. Medrano, Mrs. Dela, Mrs. Kellogg, Dr. Beth, and Mr. Scales.
How has Incarnate Word changed since you left? What things have stayed the same?
The skirt rule has changed and you couldn’t listen to music. The majority of the rules have stayed the same, though.
How has your first year been so far?
It has been great! I love coming to work every day. I really enjoy listening to the students opinions and seeing the little light bulbs go off in their heads.
What are you looking forward to the most this year?
I’m really looking forward to helping students with their writing and reading skills. I really love English, and I like helping others with their English.
Grail Probes Remind Us How Far We’ve Come
By Allison Thornton
On Saturday, two twin probes, Grail-A and Grail-B, blasted off to the moon on a research mission. NASA launched the probes to determine where the moon’s gravity is the strongest.
The probes launched successfully and were gladly seen off by an audience watching on NASA TV courtesy of an on-board camera. Grail A and Grail B are set to return on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, respectively.
The probes will take their time travelling to the moon, unlike the three day journey that the Apollo astronauts made forty years ago. However, in those forty years, new technology has changed our view of space and allowed us to discover more.
Today, scientists at NASA want to use spacecraft for so much more than exploring. The Grail probes will be measuring lunar gravity and determining just what’s inside the moon itself. By doing this, scientists hope to use the information they have gained on other terrestrial planets. They want to go so much farther than a step on the moon.
Another mission, Juno, launched on August 5 and headed to Jupiter. The main goal is to improve the understanding of the formation, evolution and structure of Jupiter. While the spacecraft isn’t set to reach Jupiter until 2016, the people at NASA hope that the fundamental questions about this mysterious planet’s origin will be answered.
Space missions such as the Grail and Juno missions are some of the ways that scientists have been able to better understand our solar system. The information gathered from these two missions will be a solid set of data for a long period of time. “There will be no reason to do another…experiment in any of our lifetimes,” says Maria Zuber, the lead scientist of the Grail mission.
For more information on these missions and to see information about future research missions, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/missions/
Shamrocks Spotlight Grandparents
Carolina Uzquiano
Waiting for the arrival of their grandparents, anxious students line the hallway. In McGowen Gym, they search the rows for their grandparents. It is Grandparent’s Day, September 13th, at Incarnate Word High School.
The hallway reverberates with exclamations of warmth and enthusiasm, as grandchildren find grandparents and grandparents see grandchildren.
After the bustle of the convening with their grandparents, the Grandparents Day mass begins. The residing celebrant was Reverend Thomas H. Dymowski, OSST.
During the Liturgy of the Word, the first reading was read by Lorena Rodriguez and her Grandfather Hector Trejo. The responsorial psalm was read by Taylor-Ann Trevino and her Grandparents Harold and Judy Wear.
The prayer of the faithful was read by Elise De Luna and her Grandfather Santiago Negrete. The presentation of the gifts was brought up by Brianna Bustamante and her Grandmother Mrs. Helen Rodriguez.
After liturgy, it was off to the cafeteria where grandparents and students were welcomed with refreshments. Others went to the testing center to have their picture taken.
“My grandparents, Sylvia and Bill Cummings, were happy to meet my teachers; coming to school brought them joy. They inspire me to do well in my studies,” said Sophomore Lauren Haskins.
Grandparents also had the opportunity to follow their granddaughters from class to class to meet teachers and other classmates.
“We look forward to this ever year” one grandmother said while her husband nodded in agreement, “and now we can’t wait till next year”.
Wes Anderson: Visionary of the Twenty-First Century
By Claudia Cardona
I was not aware of the world of Wes Anderson until I saw “Rushmore”, his second film, starring Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. I was so impressed by this masterpiece that I decided to check out his other films, and I was blown away by the craftsmanship and elegance of his movies.
Wes Anderson, Texas native and UT graduate, has created some of the best movies of our generation. He is most notably known for his latest motion picture, “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”He has also directed Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and The Darjeeling Limited.
His films are distinguished from the rest of today’s cinema because of their very unique soundtracks, their set designs, and their diverse characters.
For instance, on every movie soundtrack he has done, Anderson fits in at least one Rolling Stones song. Each set design he uses is usually very bright and vibrant. In “The Royal Tenenbaums”, each child in the house has a distinct room. The apathetic and adopted daughter of the Tenenbaum family, Margot Tenenbaum, has very specific bright red wallpaper with zebras sprawled all over it. Each one of his characters are very unique, like in Rushmore, Max Fischer is a fifteen year old boy who is in love with his school, yet he is failing all his classes because he is in too many extracurricular activities and writes hit plays for his school.
In the book, Wes Anderson: Why His Movies Matter by Mark Browning, he describes how all of his movies have been inspired by some of the greatest directors of all time like Woody Allen and Quentin Tarantino. Martin Scorsese, director of “Goodfellas”, said that Wes Anderson could be the greatest film director of our time.
If you are curious to see what his films are like, you should start off with “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Darjeeling Limited”. Those two movies really show his specific sense of directing style. His movies aren’t for everybody; Wes Anderson’s work is incomparable to modern cinema because of his unconventional sense of humor and plots.
Sophomores Pinned for Success
By Ale Reyes
On August 23 the class of 2014 arrived in the gym to receive their sophomore pins. The ceremony began with a prayer service.
In the second part of the ceremony, Sister Margaret of the Sister of Divine Charity of the Incarnate Word blessed the green and gold ‘sophomore star’ pins.
“It was a great privilege especially it being my first year at Incarnate Word,” said Sister Margaret about being a part of the ceremony. After the blessing, each of the 140 sophomores received her pin as well as a congratulatory handshake from Principal B.J. Nelsen.
For Incarnate Word sophomores the pin ceremony is a reward for surviving freshman year. “I’m sure I speak for all of my classmates when I say that it feels good to no longer be a freshman and to have gotten through our freshmen year successfully,” said Haley Kirby, Sophomore Class President.
Alumna Yvette Morin Shipley ’77 and mother of sophomore Annelise Shipley said that the school “didn’t have a sophomore pin ceremony when I was at Incarnate Word, but it is nice to see new traditions evolving at Incarnate Word with our daughters.”
The Pin Ceremony ended with the song, “Lean on Me” led by Annelise Shipley on guitar. The lyrics emphasized class unity and a sisterhood symbolized only moments before by the pins.
Congratulations to the class of 2014, and much love as these girls continue through their years here at Incarnate Word High School!
Shamrocks Zap Back to School
By Melanie Almaguer
It’s the annual Back to School blast. Katy Perry’s “E. T.” buzzed the air with excitement. Bodies danced to the thumping of the song.
This year the annual Incarnate Word High back to school dance was held on August 12 sponsored by the Student Council. The theme was “Space Odyssey Word Invasion.”
“Aliens” from the San Antonio Catholic high schools defied the laws of gravity with their dance moves at the University of the Incarnate Word Convocation Center.
For freshmen, it was a time to catch up with old friends and make new ones. For seniors, it was their first time to fully express themselves as the reigning upperclassmen.
For a while, though, there was doubt on whether or not the dance would at least sell half of its tickets.
“We had several months of planning and were worried that we wouldn’t sell any tickets, and many other people were as well since the dance was on the first day of school,” said Carolyn Perez, senior, STU-CO President.
“Luckily though, we ended up selling out the day of the dance. It was an awesome theme and so much fun especially for my senior year and all my STU-CO cats (ladies).”
Traditions Dear to IWHS
By Ale Reyes
After celebrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary liturgy on August 15 in the McGowen Gymnasium, Incarnate Word held its traditional tie ceremony.
Sophomore and junior classes waited for the newly inducted freshman class to process in, escorted by their senior big sisters.
Each senior and freshman advisory was called to stand as the freshman’s big sisters took the green plaid ties, pinned with the special class pin, and placed them onto the freshmen.
This traditional tie ceremony officially marked the start of every freshman’s high school journey.
“The ceremony was really special to me and I’m excited for my next four years here!” said freshman, Amy Cuellar.
“I love my little sister Celeste, and I just pray her next few years of high school are as good as mine were,” said Senior Bella Rea.
The freshman tie ceremony was followed by a very special event. The Shamrock community witnessed the devoted Sisters of Charity renew their vows.
“Just as married couples renew their vows, strengthening their relationship, our sisters renewed their vows with the Lord also strengthening their covenant,” said Mrs. Brown, religion teacher.